Wildcats rally back but come up just short to Vikings

Weber State made a valiant second-half comeback and took the lead but Portland State closed the game on a 7-0 run to defeat the Wildcats 74-72 Sunday afternoon at Viking Pavilion in the second Big Sky game of the season.

Portland State jumped out to a 24-12 lead midway through the first half and led by as many as 16 points in the first half, as Weber State committed 12 first-half turnovers and was 0-7 from 3-point range.

The Vikings led 42-30 at halftime and led by 16 points at 59-43 with 14:26 to play.

That's when Weber State went on a huge scoring run to eventually take the lead. The Wildcats outscored the Vikings 24-3 over the next 7:22, including a 15-0 run, and took a five-point lead with 7:04 to play.

Weber State led by five again at 72-67 with 2:24 to play after an Isiah Brown layup. But Portland State scored the final seven points and a Zahir Porter shot at the buzzer missed for the Wildcats to seal the win for the Vikings.

"We did not come out with the same energy as Friday night and Portland State put us in a hole," said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. "We fought back all the way back but they made a couple of big plays and we just couldn't get the shots we needed. We played cautious in the first half but were much more aggressive in the second half and gave ourselves an opportunity."

Weber State finished the game shooting 47 percent, compared to 42 percent for the Vikings, but WSU as just 1 of 11 from 3-point range. The 'Cats committed 15 turnovers with just three in the second half and Portland State finished with 20 turnovers. The Vikings also won the rebounding battle 43-29.

Five Wildcats scored in double figures for the first time this season. Isaiah Brown led the way with 15 points, along with five rebounds and four assists.

Zahir Porter followed his career-high on Friday with 13 points and was 9 of 12 from the free throw line. He also had five rebounds, five assists and a block.

Dillon Jones had 12 points, Cody Carlson added 11 and Dontay Bassett had a season-high 1- points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Weber State beat Portland State 94-66 on Friday night. This season the Big Sky opponents will play on back-to-back weekends, mostly in the same location.

The Wildcats are now 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Sky play.

WSU will play its final scheduled non-conference game of the season Wednesday night when the 'Cats take on BYU at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. Tipoff with the Cougars will be at 5 p.m. and will be televised on BYUtv and radio broadcast on 103.1 FM "The Wave".

Wildcats rally back but come up just short to Vikings

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Team Stats

Isiah Brown

Zahir Porter

Dillon Jones

Cody Carlson

Players Mentioned

Dontay Bassett

Isiah Brown

Cody Carlson

Dillon Jones

Zahir Porter

Players Mentioned

Dontay Bassett

Isiah Brown

Cody Carlson

Dillon Jones

Zahir Porter

Weber State University Athletics